Off-shore triangular ship mooring structure



Oct. 5, 1965 H. c. cooK 3,209,545

OFF-SHORE TRIANGULAR SHIP MOORING STRUCTURE Filed July 19, 1961 I 3Sheets-Sheet l wmW Patent Attorney Oct. 5, 1965 H. c. COOK OFF-SHORETRIANGULAR SHIP MOORING STRUCTURE Filed July 19, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2MODIFICATION I FLOATING TERMINAL TO SHORE MODIFICATION III TEMPORARYTERMINAL MODIFICATION III PERMANENT TERMINAL FIG. 4

Harry C. Cook Inventor Patent Attorney Oct. 5, 1965 OFF-SHORE TRIANGULARSHIP MOORING STRUCTURE Filed July 19, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Hurry C.Cook inventor Patent Attorney United States Patent 3,209,545 OFF-SHORETRIANGULAR SHIP MOORING STRUCTURE Harry C. Cook, Orange, N.J., assignorto Esso Research and Engineering Company, a corporation of DelawareFiled July 19, 1961, Ser. No. 125,153 3 Claims. (Cl. 61--48) The presentinvention is concerned with an improved off-shore ship mooring and shiploading structure whereby ships and other vessels can be moreeifectively loaded and unloaded, particularly with fluids such ashydrocarbons, gasolines, crude oils, and the like. In accordance withthe present invention, a unique triangular structure comprising aflexible loading arm assembly mounted on circular rails permits theloading of a ship positioned in any one of six different positions. Theparticular position selected for the mooring of the vessel for a loadingor unloading operation will be selected after evaluation of factorsincluding, type of vessel, current conditions, tidal conditions, winddirection, wind velocity, and other considerations. Liquids such ascrude oil are then delivered or unloaded to the midships manifold of thevessel by lines or other conduits positioned on the loading armassembly. As pointed out, the off-shore loading apparatus of the presentinvention permits the ship to be positioned in any one of six differentheadings to minimize the adverse effects of wind, tide, and the like.The apparatus of the present invention also allows the loading orunloading to be made over the rail of the ship in a conventional mannerand, furthermore, the structure is flexible so as to handle a vessel ofany draft and length.

The eflicient mooring of a vessel and the rapid loading of the marineequipment with liquid products as, for example, hydrocarbons and thelike, has always presented a complicated problem due to the continuousshifting of the marine equipment or ship being loaded. This shifting ofmarine equipment is due to among other factors tidal variations, changesin the ships draft during the loading operations and also Wave and windaction. Thus, there exists the problem of continually adjusting theposition of the loading hoses to compensate for these changes. Anyappreciable change in the relative position of the loading hoses, unlesscorrected, will cause a severe strain on the tanker connections and, inmany instances, cause them to break, thereby putting the tanker out ofoperation until repairs are effected. This is a very expensiveoperation. Other difficulties are encountered when attempting to moorships in various areas due to wave, current and ocean bottom conditions.In order to overcome many of these difliculties, it is known in the artto load ships, such as oil tankers and the like, at piers in protectedwaters or at marine anchorages or at nose moorings in the open sea.

In the case of tankers at piers, the manifolds of tankers are connectedto the pier piping by multiple hoses or flexible arms. In the case ofmarine anchorages, the tanker manifolds are usually connected to hosesattached to submarine lines. The number of hoses is limited by thenecessity of laying them out on the ocean bottom so that they are nottangled. The hoses in these instances must be long, usually 200 feet ormore, and the weight, and hence the diameter is limited by the capacityof the ships gear. Marine anchorages are generally limited to one or twohose connections of 12" diameter or smaller. Tankers are sometimesmoored by the bow with hoses extending from the mooring to the bow.However, few tankers have bow connections. On most other tankers, it isnecessary either to lay a hose from the bow to the amidships manifoldconnections or use a floating hose alongside the vessel. The latter issubject to adverse wave and current actions.

3,299,545 Patented Oct. 5, 1965 The present invention, as pointed outheretofore, is concerned with an improved off-shore ship mooring andoff-shore ship loading device which is characterized by being triangularin shape, thereby permitting the ship to be moored in any one of sixpositions so as to adjust the ship to the composite vector of tide,wind, sea and current, as well as compensating for the changing buoyancyof the vessel during the loading and unloading operation. The presentinvention may be readily understood by reference to the drawingsillustrating one embodiment of the same.

Referring specifically to the drawings, FIGURE 1 is a top view of thetriangular structure showing a ship moored in one position with respectthereto. FIGURE 2 illustrates a floating modification of the same, whileFIG- URE 3 illustrates a temporary terminal arrangement. The preferredpermanent terminal construction is illustrated in FIGURE 4. FIGURE 5illustrates the unique assembly whereby unused moorings may be submergedso as to permit the vessel to maneuver over these unused moorings ontothe moorings to be utilized.

Referring specifically to FIGURE 1, the triangular platform 1 ispositioned the desired distance above the surface of the water bysuitable means, which means may comprise caissons extending downwardlyfrom the lower side of the platform through the water and embedded inthe ocean floor. A vessel 2 is shown moored alongside structure 1 alongthe side AB. The bow of the vessel is in the direction of A, which isthe composite vector of the wind and wave forces during the interval thevessel is being loaded. The vessel if desired could be moored along sidethe structure in a direction B-A wherein the bow of the vessel would bein the direction of B if the composite vector were in this direction.Thus, as illustrated, the ship may be moored A-C, CA, B-C, or C-B. Ashore feeding line 3 extends from shore base tanks and leads into thevertical feed line 4 of the structure. A conventional flexible loadingarm assembly 5 is mounted on a car 6 which is movable in a circularmanner on rails 7. Moorings 8 and 9 are to be utilized when the vesselis moored in position A-B or B-A. Moorings 10 and 11 are to be utilizedwhen the vessel is moored in positions B-C or C-B, whereas moorings 12and 13 are utilized when the vessel is moored in positions A-C or C-A.

A unique feature of the present invention is that the moorings that arenot utilized are submerged so as to permit the vessel to maneuverthereover. Thus, for example, when the vessel is moored in A-B, moorings8 and 9 are together utilized in a conventional manner. However,moorings 10, 11, 12, and 13 are submerged so as to permit the vessel tomove without hindrance over them onto moorings 8 and 9 which areutilized. This is secured by employing a pulley cable arrangementactuated from structure 1 and as illustrated in FIGURE 5. A winch orreel 14 is positioned on structure 1 in a manner so that cable 15 may bewound or unwound. Cable 15 extends under pulley 16 positioned on theocean floor in a manner to either submerge buoy 8 or to permit the sameto come to the surface. By a similar mechanism, buoys 9, 10, 12, 13, and11 may be either raised or lowered utilizing equivalent winches, cables15 and pulleys 16. For simplicity, the cables and submerged pulleysbeneath the buoys are not illustrated with respect to each moormg.

Referring specifically to FIGURES 2, 3, and 4, similar elements areillustrated with similar numbers. In FIG- URE 2, the structure 1comprises a hollow platform 1 which enables the same to be floated onthe surface of the water. Line 3 extends to shore base tanks and to thevertical extending line 4 through a universal loading element 20. Theloading arms 5 are mounted on car 6 which moves on the rails on theplatform.

FIGURE 3 illustrates another slight modification wherein platform 1 ispositioned on temporary pilings 22 which extend into the sea bottom 21.FIGURE 4 illustrates a preferred modification of the present inventionwherein platform 1 is positioned above the surface of the sea 24 bymeans of a heavy caisson 25 which extends into the sea bottom. Thus, theunique feature of the present invention is that it permits the mooringof a ship to a permanent off-shore structure in six difierent positionsand provides flexibility for positioning the loading assembly adjacentthe midship loading tubes of the ship. It is to be understood that thestructure may contain suitable buffering devices, such as pads and thelike and other insulating equipment.

The structure of the present invention eliminates the necessity for thelong loading hoses of 100 to 125 feet heretofore required, since theloading lines from the platform on the outboard end of the boom to theship loading connections will be about from 30 to 50 feet in length.

What is claimed is:

1. An off-shore mooring structure for loading and unloading a liquidcargo from a ship moored thereto; said structure comprising, a fixedcaisson permanently secured at its lower end to the sea bottom, a liquidcargo pipeline connected to said caisson and extending to the shore, atriangular platform secured to the upper end of said caisson andextending to a height above the level of the sea, each side of saidtriangular platform being of relatively short length in relation to thelength of the ship to be moored thereto, mooring means extending fromeach side of said triangular platform for holding the side of the shipto be moo-red in generally parallel relationship to the associated sideof the platform; each of said mooring means of each respective side ofthe platform including a pair of submerged means secured to the seabottom and spaced substantially outboard of the ends of their respectiveside of said triangular platform and towards the corner of thetriangular platform spaced from their respective side to which the shipis to be moored, a floating mooring buoy vertically movably secured toeach of said submerged means for connection to the bow and stern mooringlines of the ship to be moored, and line means extending from saidtriangular platform to each of said submerged means and its respectivebuoy, and winch means located upon said platform and connectedindependently to each line means of each buoy for controlling andshortening said line means whereby selected unneeded floating mooringbuoys may be submerged to a depth greater than the draft of the ship tobe moored; a loading arm assembly movably mounted on track meanssupported on and defining a continuous horizontal loop about.saidplatform and a ship loading hose supported by said arm assembly andhaving a liquid flow connection with said pipeline for directing aliquid cargo to and from said ship by moving said arm assembly on saidtrack means to a fixed location adjacent any of the three sides of saidtriangular platform for use in loading a ship moored to any one of thethree sides thereof.

2. An off-shore mooring structure in accordance with claim 1 includingpulley means mounted at the lower end of said caisson adjacent the seatbottom for guiding said line means substantially horizontally outwardfrom said caisson to said submerged means.

3. An off-shore mooring structure in accordance with claim 2 whereinsaid winch means includes an individual Winch located at each of thecorners of the triangular platform.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,868,494 7/32Collins 61-46 2,3 82,763 8/45 Young 61--46 2,551,263 5/51 Gribble 61-48X 2,701,375 2/55 Ault. 2,861,532 11/58 Ault. 2,894,268 7/59 Griebe 9-82,986,888 6/61 Borrmann et al. 61-46 X 3,011,467 12/61 LeTourneau.3,088,286 5/63 Wallace 6146 3,115,013 12/63 Thornley 6l53 X 3,120,106 2/64 Foster.

FOREIGN PATENTS 346,575 1/ 22 Germany. 828,067 1/52 Germany.

EARL J. WITMER, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM I. MUSHAKE, JACOB L. NACKENOFF,

Examiners.

1. AN OFF-SHORE MOORING STRUCTURE FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING A LIQUIDCARGO FROM A SHIP MOORED THERETO; SAID STRUCTURE COMPRISING, A FIXEDCAISSON PERMANENTLY SECURED AT ITS LOWER END TO THE SEA BOTTOM, A LIQUIDCARGO PIPELINE CONNECTED TO SAID CAISSON AND EXTENDING TO THE SHORE, ATRIANGULAR PLATFORM SECURED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID CAISSON ANDEXTENDING TO A HEIGHT ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE SEA, EACH SIDE OF SAIDTRIANGULAR PLATFORM BEING OF RELATIVELY SHORT LENGTH IN RELATION TO THELENGTH OF THE SHIP TO BE MOORED THERETO, MOORING MEANS EXTENDING FROMEACH SIDE OF SAID TRIANGULAR PLATFORM FOR HOLDING THE SIDE OF THE SHIPTO BE MOORED IN GENERALLY PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP TO THE ASSOCIATED SIDEOF THE PLATFORM; EACH OF SAID MOORING MEANS OF EACH RESPECTIVE SIDE OFTHE PLAATFORM INCLUDING A PAIR OF SUBMERGED MEANS SECURED TO THE SEABOTTOM AND SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY OUTBOARD OF THE ENDS OF THEIR RESPECTIVESIDE OF SAID TRIANGULAR PLATFORM AND TOWARDS THE CORNER OF THETRIANGULAR PLATFORM SPACED FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE SIDE TO WHICH THE SHIPIS TO BE MOORED, A FLOATING MOORING BUOY VERTICALLY MOVABLY SECURED TOEACH OF SAID SUBMERGED MEANS FOR CONNECTION TO THE BOW AND STERN MOORINGLINES OF THE SHIP TO BE MOORED, AND LINE MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAIDTRIANGULAR PLATFORM TO EACH OF SAID SUBMERGED MEANS AND ITS RESPECTIVEBUOY, AND WINCH MEANS LOCATED UPON SAID PLATFORM AND CONNECTEDINDEPENDENTLY TO EACH LINE MEANS OF EACH BUOY FOR CONTROLLING ANDSHORTENING SAID LINE MEANS WHEREBY SELECTED UNNEEDED FLOATING MOORINGBUOYS MAY BE SUBMERGED TO A DEPTH GREATER THAN THE DRAFT OF THE SHIP TOBE MOORED; A LOADING ARM ASSEMBLY MOVABLY MOUNTED ON TRACK MEANSSUPPORTED ON AND DEFINING A CONTINUOUS HORIZONTAL LOOP ABOUT SAIDPLATFORM AND A SHIP LOADING HOSE SUPPORTED BY SAID ARM ASSEMBLY ANDHAVING A LIQUID FLOW CONNECTION WITH SAID PIPELINE FOR DIRECTING ALIQUID CARGO TO AND FROM SAID SHIP BY MOVING SAID ARM ASEMBLY ON SAIDTRACK MEANS TO A FIXED LOCATION ADJACENT ANY OF THE THREE SIDES OF SAIDTRIANGULAR PLATFORM FOR USE IN LOADING A SHIP MOORED TO ANY ONE OF THETHREE SIDES THEREOF.